Jones Group 10-Miler

Sunday - Part II of my weekend double took place in Amherst, MA. This would be the 1st race in the USATF NE Grand Prix series, a "challenging race along scenic, hilly rural roads (some dirt)" according to the website. Yep, that pretty much sums it up.

I left my acidotic RACING membership at home and went with my Gate City Striders card instead. I met up with a bunch of Striders in Nashua and we all piled into 3 vehicles for the roughly 2hr drive to hilly Amherst. 33 of us made the trip which was pretty amazing considering the doom and gloom forecast we've been hearing about for a couple of days. Turns out the weather held out for most of the race and was only a minor inconvenience for the ride home. (photo credit - Mike Wade)
Generally I have some sort of a goal going into most races. I don't always 'share' my goal but that's a different story. I can honestly say I had NO goal going into this race. I really, truly had no idea what pace I would run.

With so many fast guys (and girls), I was careful not to get too close to the front. With very little hoopla we were off. Right from the start I spotted a few familar faces; Todd Brown (CT) who I ran with for 90% of the Baystate Marathon and Keith Schmitt from Dover,NH who I ran with for about 90% of the Boston Prep race. Both were masters runners and both were close enough to my pace that I felt pretty comfortable where I was. Technically I trailed a small pack they were running in for the majority of the race. I could never quite catch up to them and was stuck in no mans land for much of the race.

The first two miles were relatively fast (6:03 and 5:48) but I knew the hills were coming. The next 2+ miles were net uphill with a couple of steep sections and my times slowed a LOT (6:41 and 6:52). I struggled on the hills and my legs were definitely fatigued from snowshoeing the previous night. Mile 5 and 6 were mostly flat (6:20 and 6:14) with part of this section on an iced over dirt road (which made traction challenging with racing flats). Mile 7 (5:56) was nearly all downhill and mile 8 (6:08) was mostly flat. I was feeling much better after running a couple of easy terrain miles. I was also gaining on the small pack in front of me which now included fellow GCS team mate Joe Rogers. I have never beat Joe in a race so to be this close to him was puzzling to me. Right around mile 8 I decided to pick up the pace and I passed Joe with my definition of 'authority'. I had also caught up with Todd after pushing pretty hard up the hill to mile 9 (5:58) and was close to Keith but he was doing a good job maintaining his lead. Mile 10 (6:21) had a nice double up hill climb with about 1/2 mile to go before finally peaking, providing for a fast downhill finish (except for a strange, awkward loop around a parking lot). Overall I was pleased with my run, a little sore today but pleased.

The group that finished around me are listed below, including some of my GCS team mates.

Place Div/Tot  Div   Time     Pace  Name                   Ag S Race# City/state              Team
===== ======== ===== =======  ===== ====================== == = ===== ======================= =====
101   6/86   F2039 1:01:51   6:12 Christy Carrara        33 F   279 Hudson MA               NBB
102  28/131  M4049 1:01:59   6:12 Ron Moreau             43 M    29 Natick MA               BAA
103  29/131  M4049 1:02:13   6:14 Keith Schmitt          40 M   692 Durham NH                  
104  30/131  M4049 1:02:14   6:14 Kevin Delaney          40 M    82 Arlington MA            CSU
105  67/122  M2039 1:02:18   6:14 Ben Ndaya - Mizuno     32 M   697 Lowell MA               RUN
106   3/109  M5059 1:02:20   6:14 Ephraim Ezekiel        51 M   342 Newton MA               WHIRL
107   4/109  M5059 1:02:20   6:14 Jon Waldron            51 M   667 West Newton MA          CSU
108  31/131  M4049 1:02:21   6:15 Andrew Biancheri       40 M   168 Westborough MA          GLRR
109  68/122  M2039 1:02:23   6:15 Pat Ard                24 M   336 Raymond NH              WHIRL
 110  32/131  M4049 1:02:26   6:15 Steve Wolfe            44 M   164 Merrimack NH            GCS   
111  33/131  M4049 1:02:29   6:15 John Chapin            42 M   315 Arlington MA            SRR
112   5/109  M5059 1:02:42   6:17 Tom Offenbacher        52 M   177 Westborough MA          GLRR
113  34/131  M4049 1:02:46   6:17 Ted MacMahon           43 M   460 Harvard MA                 
114   7/86   F2039 1:02:48   6:17 Carly Graytock         30 F    17 Cambridge MA            BAA
115  35/131  M4049 1:02:50   6:17 Joseph Rogers          41 M   156 Lyndeborough NH         GCS   
116  69/122  M2039 1:02:55   6:18 John Barrett           39 M     1 Needham MA              BAA
117                1:02:55   6:18 Todd Brown                M   646                         NMC
118  70/122  M2039 1:03:04   6:19 Max White              25 M   616 Jamaica Plain MA        GBTC
119   8/86   F2039 1:03:07   6:19 Lara Johnson           27 F    21 Boston MA               BAA
120  71/122  M2039 1:03:09   6:19 Andy Brown             26 M   709 Belchertown MA             
121  72/122  M2039 1:03:15   6:20 William Wheeler        29 M   402 Belchertown MA             
122  73/122  M2039 1:03:27   6:21 Brian Walsh            34 M   699 Ludlow MA               GSH
123   9/86   F2039 1:03:37   6:22 Tammie Robie           34 F   357 Milford NH              WHIRL
124  74/122  M2039 1:03:37   6:22 Will Paulding          30 M   741 Deerfield MA            SMAC
125  10/86   F2039 1:03:38   6:22 Jennifer Campbell      25 F   726 Newmarket NH            CRC
 126   1/42   M6099 1:03:41*  6:23 Bill Dixon             61 M   170 Brattleboro VT          GLRR
127   1/59   F4049 1:03:44*  6:23 Simonetta Piergentili  44 F   353 Wilmington MA           WHIRL
128  11/86   F2039 1:03:54   6:24 Tara Vance             25 F   129 Jamaica Plain MA        GBTC
129  36/131  M4049 1:03:57   6:24 Brian Reeves           45 M   485 Shirley MA                 
130  75/122  M2039 1:04:03   6:25 Frank Pilhofer         35 M   154 Nashua NH               GCS   
131  12/86   F2039 1:04:08   6:25 Michelle McCreary      25 F    80 Cambridge MA            CRC
132  37/131  M4049 1:04:11   6:26 Peter Fratini          43 M   217 Westfield MA            GSH
133  38/131  M4049 1:04:12   6:26 Jonathan Wyner         48 M    96 Arlington MA            CSU
134  76/122  M2039 1:04:14   6:26 Marco Iannello         28 M   443 Springfield MA             
135  77/122  M2039 1:04:19   6:26 Brian Tinger           31 M   700 Somerville MA           SRR
136  39/131  M4049 1:04:25   6:27 Michael Wade           40 M   163 Nashua NH               GCS   

Now as a running club, we did ok considering we're competing against some incredibly strong teams from all over New England.

Gate City Striders Team Results
Mens Open - 7th (14 teams)
Mens Masters - 7th (13 teams)
Mens Veterans - 5th (12 teams)
Mens Seniors - 2nd (5 teams)
Female Open - 6th (9 teams)
Female Masters - 5th (10 teams)

Now, what to do next....

Maybe Later

I'm tired. No race reports for today, maybe later.
Quick summary of my weekend:

• I ran the Kingman Farms Snowshoe race last night. I felt great and had a good race, finishing 2nd overall out of 107. It was a ton of fun and I'm looking forward to telling you all about it...later. It was also the first time my wife and kids joined me at a race this year. Deb was nice enough to take some video during the race and pics after the race. I've posted the pics here. I haven't done anything with the video yet. Stay tuned.
  
• On Sunday I got up early and drove 2hrs to Amherst, Ma for the 35th Jones Group 10 Mile USATF race (along with 30+ Gate City Striders). What a tough course! Finished with a time of 1:02:26 (6:15 avg) and humbly finished 110th overall, 31st in my age group (ouch). There are some FAST folks in New England. Overall, I was happy with my time.

My legs are tired.

Pictures from Frosty's Dash

In case you haven't checked recently, they've posted a bunch of pictures from the snowshoe race at the Frosty's Dash for a Cure website.

Notice how Jim Johnson ALREADY has a lead, 5ft into the race. Also, who's that guy in the shorts?

Kingman Farm Preview (maybe)

Chris Dunn has an update on the conditions at Kingman Farm on his blog, but that might change after tomorrow's potential snowstorm. Wait and see.
I marked up the local trail map with what I believe to be the course for Saturday night. As far as I know it's the same course as last year.

What I remember:

• The start is a short walk up the trail from the parking lot (town hall).
• The start is very narrow.
• The course runs clockwise.
  
• Most of the early stuff is on typical winter hiking trails, maybe snowmobile width.
• There is a sharp left turn maybe 1/4 mile in. I only remember it because I tripped on my own snowshoes making the turn and had visions of being trampled by 80+ pairs of snowshoes.
• Most of the course is fairly flat to gentle rolling terrain, all the way up to the composting shed (see map). My guess is it will be fairly fast, with plenty of room to pass if needed.
• Once you get past the Compost shed the trail is mostly single track if I recall. You really need to get position before heading back into the woods and begin ascending Hicks Hill.
• The climb is taxing but runnable if I remember correctly. There are some pretty long switchbacks on the way up AND the way down, allowing you to see runners in front and behind. If you can't see them I promise you'll hear them.
  
• I think we sort of summit Hicks Hill and descend for a while before slowly climbing again around the perimeter towards the summit again. This was a difficult section last year (icy), sort of like running on a side of a hill.
  
• Lots of sharp turns up and over Hicks Hill so pay attention. Sight range is limited at night and you might run into a tree.
• The course was very well marked with surveyor flags...as long as you pay attention.
  
• The last section towards the finish has some fairly steep sections with lots of turns before leveling off near the finish.
• The finish was within spitting distance of the start.
• My guess is this course will have the fastest times of any race in the GSSS.
• Don't be surprised if you get beat by a banana.

The owner of this blog is not responsible for any inaccuracies, falsehoods or outright lies associated with this race. I can barely remember what I had for breakfast.

Horse Hill 7k Snowshoe Race

Race #5 of the GSSS is in the books.
The Horse Hill 7k was only 3 miles from my home but I was still there 1 1/2 hrs before the start...and I wasn't even the first one there! I met up with Scotty G and John S and headed out for a warm up run and course preview. Scotty and I were in our running shoes, John on his new Dions. The conditions were great for racing thanks to cold temps over night. Most of the course was borderline icy conditions which made it a little tricky during the warm up, as we covered the last mile or so of the course.

A few more folks were milling around when we got back including my teammates at acidotic RACING, a car full from Dungeon Rock and even a handful of my Gate City Strider teammates, some making their snowshoe racing debut. I met up with Jim J and Mike W and headed out for my second warm up run of the day. I grabbed a couple more signs and planned to head out to about the 4.5k mark to place at least one more sign at a questionable corner. This time all of us were in our running shoes. After placing the signs we headed back, following the course to the finish, up and over Blodgett Hill. Blodgett was VERY icy on the decent as we stuck to the sides to avoid falling on our butts. We got back with about 15 minutes to spare and I quickly changed into race attire: a stealthy white short sleeve shirt.

After a short delay for some late arrivals we were off. Double-J was out of sight by the time I crested the first hill probably a 1/4 mile into the race. Chris Dunn was pushing the pace for us mortals trailing behind. Chris surprised me by going out really fast and had a decent lead on me by the time we reached the first hill just under 1k into the race. I gained a little back on the downhill single track but he was still pushing pretty hard, maintaining the same lead at the 2k point. I peeked over my shoulder a few times on the single track and saw Mike Wade and Scotty Graham not too far behind. What the heck did these guys have for breakfast?

As we headed up the 2nd, steeper hill I closed a bit on Chris and once again I peeked when we took the sharp turn at the top. This time I didn't see anyone. I finally caught up to Chris on the power lines and pulled in front to pull for a while (so I thought). I never looked back but I could tell Chris was tight on my heels as the icy conditions made it easy to hear him. I pushed hard for a while but was tiring as we crossed the power lines and headed back into the woods. I slowed a bit, and even moved to the side of the trail a few times but Chris seemed happy to stay right behind me. Did I mention I hate to be in front??

So now I start thinking about race strategy and whether Chris was just toying with me. He's been racing me really tight the last couple of races, improving each time. I felt like I gained some on the downhills so I decided to test this about the 4.5k point as the trail descended towards the last major brook crossing. I ran as hard and fast as I could down towards the bridge and the sound behind me changed a bit and I felt I may have increased my lead.

The next 1k was a steady climb off and on, slowly climbing back up to the summit of Blodgett Hill. I took a peek on the switchback and didn't see Chris (although I heard him) but was never comfortable. I didn't want to take any chances and ran the last 1k (all downhill) hard, taking one more peek as we turned back onto the main trail to the finish.

My teammate pushes me waaaaaaaaay to hard, but I love the competition. I've never looked back so much in a race, ever. I finished 2nd (or as Scotty G likes to say, I was first loser) to Jim Johnson, who I think had already changed, eaten, and finished his cool down run by the time I got to the finish line. Chris finished 3rd, less than a minute behind me followed by Mike Wade (in his 1st snowshoe race every) in 4th and fellow acidotic teammate Ri Fahnestock in 5th.

Complete results can be found here.
I also took a few pictures after finishing and got about the top 30 or so before heading out for a cool down run with Jim J and Mike W.

Splits for the day:

1k 5:09
2k 4:39
3k 5:21
4k 5:09
5k 5:41
6k 5:40
7k 4:24

Now for a shameless plug. A few weeks before the race I was contacted by the Manchester Union Leader about a preview article they were writing about the race. The reporter asked if I would talk to him and do a photo shoot at HHNP. I agreed and the article was in Fridays paper (the Merrimack edition). Although the article seemed more about me and less about HHNP (sorry), it did give me a chance to promote the sport of snowshoe racing and the GSSS. If you're interested, you can read the article here.

Next up, the Kingman Farm Moonlight Snowshoe 5k, probably the 1st New England snowshoe race EVER to sell out.

Horse Hill 7k Snowshoe Pics

I took a bunch of pics after I finished and before I went for a cool down run. I think I was able to get runners 4-32 plus a few crowd shots. Sorry I missed the rest of you. You can check them out here.


PS: I also posted a few pics from last weekends Sidehiller Snowshoe Race as well.

Horse Hill Update: PLENTY of SNOW!

I just got back from running the Horse Hill 7k Snowshoe course with Bill Morse and the conditions were fine. Although the snow is much softer than earlier this week, there were no bare spots and most of the trail is pretty firm. A couple of cold nights over the next few days and conditions should be pretty good for Saturday.
There were a few more rocks and tree stumps exposed but nothing serious. I also took the liberty to mark the course with orange spray chalk along the edge of the trail and note roughly where the kilometer marks are. Hopefully they'll last a few more days. I believe Michael is going out tomorrow to officially mark the course with signs. The course is pretty darn close to 7k +/- a little.
The easy way to visualize the course is like a big lollipop. For those of you familiar with Motionbased, you can check out my GPS download of the course here, otherwise you can just look at the pictures below.

Overall Map:

















Elevation Profile:













See you Saturday.